A forensic psychologist’s job is to express expert psychological observations in legal terms that courts can readily understand. This job is complex and requires a forensic psychologist to research cases thoroughly, evaluate difficult subjects psychologically, and present legally valid testimony.
James Cohen has worked in this field for over ten years. “When you use the word ‘forensic’ in your job title, people assume you spend your time physically investigating crime scenes,” James says. “Some forensic psychologists do, but most rely on police reports, witness testimony, and other sources. My job is to provide the court with psychological insight into any individual, and make recommendations on a course of action.
“Nothing’s easy in this profession; I face constant challenges. Whole days are devoted to research; then I have to evaluate a person whose best interest may be to feign illness or otherwise refuse to cooperate. During evaluations I’ve got to be very careful. One misstep could mean that all my work on an offender will be thrown out of the court.”
A Forensic Psychologist’s Workday
6:30 a.m. James arrives at his desk to review the file he spent the entire previous day studying. He has been appointed by the court to evaluate the sanity of the defendant in a murder case. The offender displays extreme irrationality, impulsivity, and aggression that is not characteristic of his personality prior to this year.
James studies the police reports and witness testimony carefully. He also looks over the defendant’s medical records. If the defendant had been psychologically examined for therapeutic purposes before the event, James would also review that information, but the defendant seems to have no history of documented mental problems.
11:30 a.m. Having prepared thoroughly, James arrives at the county jail to evaluate the defendant, who is already waiting in an attorney-client interview room. This is a dangerously aggressive subject, but James decides to attempt the evaluation one-on-one nonetheless. He is locked into the room alone with the defendant.
The task is to evaluate the subject for mental illness. During this process, James must determine whether symptoms are real, partially exaggerated, or faked altogether.
During the evaluation, James is verbally abused and physically threatened. He takes copious notes.
1:30 p.m. James returns to his office. The defendant’s behavior was consistent with what his friends, family, and coworkers observed: the man’s personality has become extremely unreasonable and aggressive, with no obvious cause or explanation.
James begins preparing his testimony and recommendations for the court. In this case, he recommends a full medical evaluation. Such a dramatic, complete, and unexplained personality change should be investigated by a doctor. Something may have physically damaged the man’s brain.
The rest of the afternoon is spent preparing a report of this conclusion for presentation that will be understandable and useful to the court, and will stand up to cross-examination by a prosecuting attorney.
6:30 p.m. James’s long workday is over.
“Forensic psychology isn’t for the faint of heart,” he says, “but if you thrive in an adversarial, challenging environment, you’ll be hard-pressed to find more stimulating and interesting work than this.”